Improvement in musical instruments



V strings being played upon and sounded 'whereby they are stiifened and 5mm @met l @t tive.' g

Wassers-M WILLIAM VOGEL, OFNCRWICH, CONNECTICUT DURAND.

Letters Patent No.. 84,027, dted November 10, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN MUSICAL INSTRUDENTS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM VOGEL, of Norwich, in the oo unty of New London, and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to that class of musical instrurnents` known as thel dulcimen, and in which suitable strings or wires are held stretched over a soundboard, suitably secured within a case, in a silnilar manner to that employed in piano-fortes, these by means of hammers in the hands of the player'.

This invention consists- First, in connecting the iron bridges, on which the strings rest, near their ends, by means of cross-bars or rails passing under and below the sonnd-board, given great strength to resist the strain and tension to the strings.

Second, in so forming the brace-bars or rails upon the under side of the board as to leave an open and free communication and ese-ape of the sound therefrom.

In the accompanying' plate of drawings, my irnprovcnrents in dulcimers are illustrated,

Figure l being a plan View of the under side of the case-box;

Figure 2, a longitudinal vertical section, taken in the plane of the line x x, iig. l; and

Figure 3, a transverse vertical section, taken in the plane of the line y y, tig. l.

Similar letters of reference indica-tecorresponding parts.

A, in the drawings, represents a case or box, made of wood, of suitable for'rn and dimensions, and supported upon legs, B, one at each corner thereof.

C, the sound-board, secured in any suitable manner within the case A, in a plane between the bottom and top thereof.

This board has openings, D, at suitable points, to allowthe escape of the sound, and, upon its under" side, is stiened by cross-bars, E, secured thereto' by means of glue, or in any ,othersuitable manner.,

The several bars E extend in an angular direction across the board, with the two end ones made solid, but of less thickness than th'e space between the board and the bottom to the case, and the centre one of a skeleton-forni or frame, forming a support to the board at its centre.

By the construction of the bars to the board, as above described, a full communication is permitted and established under the board for the sound. From the space between the bottom, A, and board C, the sound escapes through the openings D.

F, the bridges to the board, carrying the hitch-pins a and tuning-pins b for the strings G.

These bridges are made of iron, and are connected together and supported by rails, H, of the saine ana-- terial. These braces pass below the board C and support the bridges at dili'erent points, one rail being a1*-v ranged under the rear ends of the bridges, one at the.

rontends, and the other near their centres.

By these brace-rods H the bridges are braced and stifiened, and thus adapted for resisting the strain and tension of the strings of the instrument.

J, pedal-stand, secured to the under side of ease A, and provided with pedal-feet, K, thatfthrough suitable connecting-rods or bars, are arlanged for operating upon the bars o'r rails-L, properly located for dampening the sound of the stringsfif so desired.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The arrangement of the diagonal darnpers L with relation to the bridges F, sound-board c, and strings G, of the dulcirner, as herein shown and described.

2.' The construction of the bridges F, stiening endbars and central frame E, and the curved braces H for the purpose speeied.

beneath the sound-board c, all arranged as described,-

WM. VOGEL. Witnesses:

EZRA DURAND,

JOHN E. DURAND ASSIGNOR 'IO EZRA 

